News Release
05 September 2004

For Reference: Mr. Ramon Bultron
Managing Director
Tel. No.: 94773134

People’s Caravan 2004
East and SEast Asia leg kicks off in HK, Tackles WTO and its impacts to migrants and migration

More than 130 migrant workers, local NGOs, students and migrant advocates attended the WTO and Migration forum today organized by the Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PANAP), Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) and the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM).

The said forum was organized as part of the month-long People’s Caravan for Food Sovereignty that advocates on issues of the WTO, genetic engineering, pesticides, and agrochemical industries.

Additionally, said Ramon Bultron of APMM, it is also a part of the preparations for the campaign against the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the WTO slated in Hong Kong on December 2005.

Speakers in the forum included Irene Fernandez of Tenaganita (Malaysia), Antonio Tujan, Jr. of IBON Philippines, Connie Bragas-Regalado of AMCB and Migrante Partylist, and Gilbert Sape of PANAP.

Ms. Fernandez discussed the issues of globalization and migration. She said that migrant labor has been used in the globalization process since its first wave which was during the colonialism period. She relayed the current global reality of “Two Worlds” with one controlling wealth and power, and the other side that is poor, in debt and divided.

The Malaysian activist and former political prisoner also reported on the situation of undocumented workers in Malaysia and the human rights violations committed against them during the crackdown in 2003.

Mr. Tujan, meanwhile, stressed the impacts of the “inherently flawed” WTO and its policies that force people to work abroad. He said that WTO policies that result to bankruptcy of poor peasants and labour contractualization in countries like the Philippines lead to poverty and migration.

A study of IBON Philippines, he revealed, said that Filipinos migrate not to earn additional income but to have an income due to job scarcity.

Ms. Regalado, a veteran migrant activist, emphasized the need for the migrant workers to form organizations to resist globalization, WTO and forced migration. Moreover, she encouraged the migrant workers to join the campaign against the WTO in Hong Kong next year. She also invited the participants to join in the efforts of migrant groups to form an International Migrants Alliance that is set to start next year.

For his part, Mr. Sape, explained to the participants the history, objectives and process of the People’s Caravan 2004. He called for support to the People’s Agenda on Food Sovereignty that is expected to come out from the said activity.

Mr. Bultron reported an “overwhelming opposition” of the participants to the WTO. He said the many of the migrant groups expressed their desire to “re-echo” the forum to their members.